This is Yamaguchi san. While I was working in Arita in Kyushu in 2014 as an Asialink Artist in Residence I met Yamaguchi san - a master mould maker. Over a number of weeks, he generously opened his studio to me and shared with me his techniques and skills in mould making. I feel very lucky to have learned from such a skilled craftsman. When I returned to Australia, I continued to work on this technique of hand-carving moulds in a single shape that I could use to slip cast to construct and expand modular forms. Having focussed for quite some time on slab-built sculpture, I was excited to explore a new direction.
The image below is an outcome of this process. This piece will feature as part of a small installation of work at the Clay Intersections group exhibition at the Australian Design Centre in Sydney (28 July - 21 September 2016).
I look forward to using this technique to explore more interesting shapes and forms...and I'm forever grateful to Yamaguchi san for his generosity and to Asialink and Arts Queensland who funded my residency.
'Dome' 2016, Kenji Uranishi, slip-cast porcelain